Valencia man sentenced in ax incident

October 19, 2017News Extra

A Valencia man charged with destroying parts of a home with an ax was sentenced to probation in Butler County Court on Thursday.

Matthew C. Pelton, 46, was sentenced to 24 months probation and ordered to pay court costs, a $150 fine and nearly $5,000 in restitution by county Judge William Shaffer.

He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim.

The affidavit of probable cause states that Pelton went to a home occupied by a woman with an ax and pounded on the door, before defacing the home by destroying railing posts, garden and driveway lights, a garage door and windows.

At that time the ax handle was splintered from the force, and the woman locked herself in an upstairs room and called police, according to court records.

When police arrived, Pelton had blood on his hands, and blood spatter was found on other items outside the home, the document states.

Police said Pelton made the remark that he was “getting his neighbor's attention.”